For the 11th time since 2020, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team has won a championship. On Wednesday night, it was the Big 7 Tournament title as the Red Wolves battled past Seaforth 3-1 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Senior Claire Hargett finished with 15 kills while freshman Dani Solomon came away with 12 kills. It was Cedar Ridge’s third win over the Hawks this year, but the Red Wolves nearly fell behind two sets to nothing. Trailing 23-21 in the second set, senior middle blocker Ellamarie Perel came through with the final three points of the set, starting with a crucial kill to even the frame at 23-22. Perel would turn back an attack by Seaforth’s Ally Forbes to put the Red Wolves ahead, then scored on set point to even the match. Senior Kayla Stoll had nine kills and two aces. She spike down match point to start a lively celebration among the Red Wolf student section. It was the fifth consecutive year that Cedar Ridge played in a conference tournament championship match. They have won four of them. Cedar Ridge is the #1 overall seed in the East Region for the 5A State Tournament. The Red Wolves will start play against either South Granville or Fike on Tuesday night in the second round. The Vikings and the Golden Demons will play in Creedmoor on Saturday during the opening round.
